Detachable plaster cast



Dec. 28, 1937.

H. M. 'GlLLlN DETACHABLE PLASTER CAST Filed Jan. 30, 1956 2 SheetsSheet1 Dec. 28, 1937. H. M. GILLVINI 2,103,942

DETACHABLE PLASTER CAST Filed Jan. so, 1956 2 Sheets'- Sheet' 2,

Patented Dec. 28, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claim.

This invention relates to detachable plaster casts for the human body,and has for its primary object the production of a simple and efficientmeans for securely fastening a plaster cast around a selected portion ofthe human body in such a manner as to emciently support and brace thatpart of the body surrounded by the cast, and at the same time permit thecast to be readily removed when desired. a

A further object of this invention'is the production of a simple andeiiicient detachable plaster cast for the human body and the like,having a separable fastener or securing means extending throughoutsubstantially the entire length thereof, whereby the lining may bespread flat prior to being placed around a selected portion of the humanbody and may then be drawn around the affected parts and secured throughthe medium of the separable or similar fastener and a plastic appliedabout the lining to dry, such fastener or fastening means alsopermitting the cast to be readily opened throughout itsentire length orsubstantially its entire length, and the ,body of the cast" moved awayfrom the affected parts of the human body andthereby easily detached. v

A still further object "of this invention is the production of a simpleand efficient structure in the nature of a fabric lining and anchoringmeans whereby the plastic material forming a part of the detachable'plaster cast may be firmly anchored in engagement with the fabricportions of the cast.

Another object of this invention is the production of a simple andefficient method for applying a detachable plaster cast to the affectedparts of a human body.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appearthroughout the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a human body showing various typicalcasts applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a perspectiveview of the body cast shown in place upon ahuman body:

Figure 3 is an enlarged front elevation of a detachable plaster castdesigned particularly for use upon the forearm of the human body,certain portions of the cast being broken away and shown in section;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 ofFigure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional perspective view of a portion of the fabriclining, anchoring strips and separable fastening elements used inconjunction with the detachable plaster cast;

Figure 6 is an enlarged front elevation of the closure flap used forpermitting access to spincision or other wound dressing; 1

'Figure 7 is a transverse section taken on line 1-1 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a detail perspective view of one of the hook supportingstrips used in connection with the improved cast;

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view through the plaster portion of thedetachable cast, the

inner lining and fastening means being shown in front elevation, thisview illustrating the type of cast .used for a combination leg and footcast;

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view through a different 'type castand illustrating more-particularly the type of cast which isprovidedwith a closure flap to permit access to an incision or other wounddressing;

Figure 11 is a sectional view through the plaster portion of a footcast, the fabric lining being shown in elevation; V I

Figure l2 is a transverse sectional view of the type of cast illustratedin Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a front elevation of the separable fastener in the natureof a wire and hook fastening means;

Figure 14 is a transverse section taken on line ll-ll of Figure13; and

Figure 15 is a vertical sectional view of the slider member of theseparable fastener.

By referring to the drawings, it will be seen that .B designates thehuman body, upon which the. detachable and sectional plaster casts areadapted to fit, and it is desired to point out that the casts may bevariously designed to fit the particular portion of the body asmay berequired, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

One of the important featuresto be borne in mind is the location of theseparable fastener; or other similar fastener, in a proper position topermit the cast to be easily applied as well as easily and convenientlyremoved. By way of illustration, it will be seen by considering Figure 1that a body cast I5 is illustrated which may be provided with alongitudinally extending separable fastener V iii of any suitable ordesired type extending from one end to the other and preferably downthrough the center front portion of the cast and suitable separablefasteners may be located so as to permit the body cast 15 to be easilyplaced around the upper portion of the body and over the shoulders, asat I61, and

also allow the cast to be readily separated or opened for the purpose ofremoval. For the purpose of illustration, I have also shown a forearmportion l1 and the upper arm portion 8, the forearm portion I! alsobeing designedto extend over the hand. I have-also illustrated a legcastIQ of the type to fit over the knee joint having a flap portion 20 whichis typical of a structure which is described in the following. A forearmcast 2| is also illustrated which is of the type to extend fromapproximately the elbow to the wrist. A foot cast 22 is illustrated, andas stated above these casts may be suitably designed to fit the desiredparts without departing from the spirit of the invention, and is eachprovided with separable fasteners to facilitate the placing and theremoval of the casts.

I have shown a full body garment cast 23 having longi .ldinal separableseam shoulder fasteners 24b, whereby the entire body garment cast 23 maybe easily placed upon the body as well as easily removed therefrom. Aflap 20a is illustrated, the edges of which are secured by a separablefastener 20b, to permit access to an incision or other wound under thecast 23. When the flap 20 or 20a is released, it may be forced upwardlyto permit access to the wound or incision and while the plaster maycrack to some extent between ends of the flap, it will serve very orover thelseiected portion of the human body.

and along the longitudinal edges of the garment or lining 25 are-securedthe parallel locking portions 26 of the separable fastener, whichparallel portions 26 are adapted to be engaged by the looking slide orslider 41, to be hereinafter described. A sealing tongue 23 ispreferably secured along one marginal edge of the lining or garment 25,as shown particularly in Figure 5, and is adapted to span the distancebetween the adjoining longitudinal edges of the lining 25 and constitutea seal for this longitudinal opening which is defined by the parallelportions 26 of theseparable fastener. I also preferably employlongitudinally extending perforated anchoring webs 30 which are securednear the marginal edges of the lining 25 and extend laterally away fromthe separable fastener toward the sides of the lining 25. Plasticmaterial of the usual type, such as plaster of Paris, and the like,indicated by the numeral 3|, is applied to the lining is in a manner asshown in Figure 4, so as to cause the perforated anchoring webs 30 to beembedded within this material 3|, as shown in Figure 4, the plasticmaterial being shaped to overhang the marginal edges of the lining 25and being terminated short of the inner locking portions of the parallelportions or sections of the separable fastener to allow the slider 41 tofreely operate.

In applying the detachable plaster cast to a portion of the human body,there may be provided, if desired, a cotton packing and suitable splintsmay also be employed as is now usual with the profession and as occasionmay require, but ordinarily the cast is adapted to fit skin-tightwithout the use of packing or splints. The knit or fabric lining is thenbrought snugly around the affected part of the body and the ends of theseparable fastener are secured, and the separable fastener is thenoperated so as to close and draw the marginal edges of the lining in atightly bound position. The plastic material 3| is then applied to thelining 25 to form an encircling plastic covering such as is shown inFigure 2, the anchoring webs 30 being embedded to firmly support themarginal edges of the lining in enga'gement with the plastic covering3|, and also firmly hold the parallel portions 26 of the separablefastener.

In following out the method of procedure above described, it will beseen that as the plastic material 3| hardens, a very rigid cast will beprovided and the separable fastener slide 4'! will be located in alongitudinally extending channel 33 formed upon the outer face of thecast and located in a position whereby, when it is desired to remove thecast, this may be easily accomplished by merely pulling out the wire 49hereafter described. This will open the cast from end to end throughoutthe entire length of the cast, note the form shown in Figure 3 and incertain other forms, substantially throughout the entire length of thecast, whereby the cast may be spread open and easily removed by slidingit longitudinally off the arm or leg or by grasping it by its marginalportions and applying force to spread the cast a suflicient distance topermit removing it laterally from the arm or leg. While the plaster maybe cracked somewhat in spreading the cast, the fabric lining will holdthe major portion of the plaster in place and the cast can be replacedand again secured to act as a shield after a bone has knit.

Through the medium of the present device, a detachable plaster cast isprovided which will not only efliciently brace, support and protect theaffected parts of the body, but will at the same time be quitecomfortable to the wearer, as well as being easy to apply and easy toremove.

In some instances, it is necessary'that the 'cast be provided with meansto permit access to an incision or to other affected parts of the body,and for this reason I provide a flap such as is indicated by the numeral2|! in Figure 1, and as also indicated by the numeral 20a in Figure 2,and by the numeral 34 in Figure 10. v'Ihisflap may be provided with asuitable separable fas tener 35 along its marginal edge to permit thesecuring of the edge of the flap in a closed po sition and at the sametime allow the flap to be open for the purpose of dressing the wound orinspecting the incision. The edge of the flap may be variously designed,but it is preferably of an irregular arc-shaped contour, as shown inFigure 10, so as to allow the flap to be swung away from the incisionoroutwardly when the slide 36 of the separable fastener has been moved toan open position. In the type of structure shown in Figure 9, there isillustrated a removable or detachable plaster cast 31 .having theseparable fastener 38 extending longitudinally thereof down the frontface and over a portion of the top of the foot. In Figure 10, the cast39 is provided with a separable fastener 40 extending down one side. Inthe foot cast 22, shown in Figures 11 and 12, the separable fastener 4|is preferably located longitudinally and centrally of the upper face ofthe foot and a separable fastener 42 is preferably located vertically ofthe back of the foot from a point near the lower extremity of the heelto the upper edge near the ankle. As stated above, these separablefasteners may be located at any suitable or desired position tofacilitate the application and the removal of the cast.

As shown in Figure- 6, the separable fastener illustrated for thepurpose of permitting'access to an incision and the like, is preferablycarried by web portions or tapes 26a, which are provided with V-shapednotched "belong their outer edges to allow the tapes or web portions tobe shaped to the arc of a circle and lie flat or snugly on thesupporting fabric.

In applying this flat structure particularly illustrated in detail inFigure 6, it is preferable to sew the tapes 26a to a layer of dryplastic gauze or bandage. An opening is cut in the bandage betweenthe'tapes the length thereof and the flap is preferably formed upon apatch of dry powdered plastic bandage, such. as is 11- lustrated inFigure 2 and indicated by the numeral 21a. This dry powdered plasticbandage is laid on the piece of fabric lying over the cotton packedincision, the cotton packing being indicated as at 29a in Figure 7.After the patch 21a has been dipped in water the physician preparing thecast will cement the patch to the cast as heapplies the plaster in themanner to suit his own convenience or as the necessity of the case, inhand demands. As the patch 21a dries, it becomes hardened and forms partof u the cast. The arc-shaped opening which is closed F through themedium of the separable fastener hereinafter described, may be opened bycut-'- ting the wire and forcing the flap upwardly and may be closedagain by inserting another wire.

While it is not desired to necessarily limit the present invention tothe particular type of separable fastener illustrated, it has been foundadvisable to employ the particular type of separable fastenerillustrated and described in detail in the following. However, it shouldbe understood that other types of separable fasteners such for instanceas the hookless fastener may be employed without departing from thespirit of the invention. The type of fastener illustrated in thisapplication, however, has been found much more advantageous due to thefact that the wire may-be completely removed and replaced and at thesametime avoid the possibility of clogging the various elements of thehookless fasteners with the plastic material which might interfere withthe proper operation.

In Figures 13, 14 and 15, there is shown a type of separable fastenerwhich may be used in connection with the present invention consisting ofa pair of parallel strips 45 which strips carry alternately arrangedinwardlyextending hook members 46. A slider 41 is slidably mounted alongthe parallel portions 45, and is provided with curved channels 49 whichare adapted to be moved into overhanging positions such as are shown inFigure 13, as the slider 41 is moved in the direction of the arrowsshown in Figure 13. A locking wire 49 is carried by the slider 41- andas the hooks 46 move into the outwardly curved and lower endvof the slotindicated by the numeral 59, the hooks 46 engage the wire 49 and therebyhold the parallel portions 45 in anchored relation. The wire 49 ispreferably provided with eyelets at its respective ends to prevent thewire from pulling out of position and when it is desired to release thefastener, one of the eyelets may be cut off and the wire 49 may bepulled longitudinally completely releasingithe same from the hooks 46.,

The slider 41 may beprovided with an operating link or ring 92 tofacilitate the moving of the slider 41.

While it is preferable to employ the slider 41, 1

it should be understood that the wire, if necessary, might be threadedbetween the hooks manually by the physician or person preparing thealignment and inserting the wire therethrough. It is preferable toemploy a-slider 41 of proper design to cause the hooks to be properlydrawn together and to then engage the wire 49.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A cast of the class described comprising a body having ,a slit formedtherein, a separable fastening means secured around the marginal edgesof the slit and formed toprovide a movable flap to permit access underthe cast. w

2. A cast of the class described comprising a body having a curved slitformed therein, a separable fastening means secured around the marginaledges of the curved slit and formed to provide a movable flap to permitaccess under the cast. I a

3. A cast of the class described comprising a lining, means forfacilitating access to an incision under the cast when formed, saidmeans comprising a patch consisting of a fabric body impregnated withdry plastic material adapted to be moistened for adhering to the fabricof the cast and the plastic material as it is built up around the patch,the cast having a slot formed by a marginal edge of the patch, and aseparable fastener for closing the slot.

4. A cast of the class described comprising a lining, means forfacilitating access to an incision under the cast when formed, saidmeans comprising a patch consisting of a fabric body impregnated withdry plastic material adapted to be moistened for adhering to the fabricof the cast and the plastic material as it is built-up around the patch,the cast having an arc-shaped slot formed by a marginal edge of thepatch and a separable fastener spanning the slot to facilitate theopening and closing thereof whereby acextending along marginal edges ofthe fining and attachedthereto and-having free portions extending fromthe margins in overlying relation to the lining and adapted to beembedded in plaster applied to the lining, and interengaging fastenermeans extending along the length of the slit and attached to marginaledge thereof.

, HARRY M. GILLIN.

. cast, merely by drawing'the hooks into proper

